Post Christmas Sales Part 2: An alternative way to bag a bargain

Now that Boxing Day is over and the rush of the first post Christmas sales has eased off, you may be thinking that you’ve missed out on all the major bargains, well not necessarily. If you think a little bit outside the box and head for some alternative shopping routes, you still have time to bag a few bargains, just steer clear of the leading high street stores and follow our guide and you could save a few precious pennies and grab some great items at the same time. Here’s our advice.

Online Auctions

People in the know will look at an unwanted gift and think ‘ebay’ almost immediately so you can bet you’ll see some fabulous bargains on this famous auction site directly after Christmas. You are talking electrical items, fashion garments, duplicate kids toys, you name it, if it’s not wanted, it will probably end up on here. And don’t forget other auction sites such as your local Gumtree and if it is a homemade or hand crafted item it may even end up on something like Etsy or Folksy. So have a quick scan through these sites and see what bargains there are, as people will typically not want the full asking price.

Charity Shops

If the item is not really something that can be easily sold on, or if the person does not have a digital camera or does not know how to sell on an auction site, they may even donate the gift to a charity shop. You’ll be surprised at the amount of new items that surface in charity shops immediately after Christmas has finished. For example, I bagged a 100% silk Kookai dress that retailed at £75 for a fiver yesterday; I have no idea where I’ll wear it, I may even sell it on, but what a bargain! But don’t just think about yourself, this is a great time to be thinking ahead for next year and the following Christmas as you’ll quite often see unopened gift sets of perfumes and body lotions that are unwanted.

Supermarkets

Yes I know I said to steer clear of the major high street stores but supermarkets can have some great bargains too, and thinking ahead for next year, check out their Christmas card and wrapping paper ranges which they always discount about now to make room for their new stock. I bought packs of 20 cards for a pound each and Christmas wrap for 50p yesterday. And don’t forget to have a look in their food departments as well as you can quite often pick up some fantastic meat joints for amazing prices. In my local Asda they are selling off all the old turkey prepared roasting joints for half price, and many other joints of meat are reduced too. You can freeze these joints and use at a later date.

Online stores

Online shopping rose this year by 17% and for good reason, you don’t have to queue with hundreds of others, you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home or find a parking space, and you actually have more rights as a shopper if you buy online. So don’t forget to checkout online stores sales bargains, they may have less than actual high street stores but again, you are not fighting the masses to grab a bargain.